Sports: Nerve Wrecking Moments For Gamtel

See also…

• Gamtel Coach Tapha Manneh Talks On ‘Big Achievement’
• Interior’s Jammeh: Any Team Can Relegate

Penalties!

Nerve Wrecking Moments For Gamtel 

The FA and Super Cup Champions, Gamtel Football Club on Sunday witnessed nerve wrecking moments as they’ve been held to a goalless draw in full time by Senegalese side Niary Tally.

The Gambian side and their Senegalese equals had earlier on played a goalless draw in Dakar, Senegal in the 1^st leg of the WAFU Club Championship. Both sides managed the same level of performance and the same results in the 2^nd leg at the Independence Stadium in Banjul on July 3.

At full time, both sides agreed to take on each other on the spot contrary to the extra-time play, which is usually the norm preceding any foreseeable penalty shootout provided that the scores yield no winner. 

The visitors were the first to take on a spot kick, with Alliou Ceesay failing to convert his kick from the spot, while Gamtel’s Assan Ceesay scored. Niary Tally’s Amadou E. Badiane found the net and leveled at 1-1 from the spot when Gamtel’s Malamin Singhateh failed to score.

However, Niary Tally missed out again when Gamtel’s goalkeeper Musa Camara denied Yoro Lamin Ly, giving Alagie Amadou Ngum the chance to give Gamtel the lead by putting them 2-1 ahead with three kicks for each side.

But Anthony O. Odsiji scored for Niary Tally to level the score, only to be cancelled by Gamtel’s Dodou Susso who made it 3-2 with four-four kicks for each side.

Niary Tally with their final shot of five equaled the score at 3-3 when Gamtel’s Ali Sowe was denied by the post for a score win.      

Nerves wrecking moments grew stronger for the home side and its fans, bringing along the fear of being sent parking at home in this early stage of the West African Football Union (WAFU) Club Championship.

Taking on each other for the sixth time for the night, both Niary Tally’s Abdoulaye Badiane and Gamtel’s goalkeeper Musa Camara scored to keep their sides in contention, but this was just a moment for the big moment.

When the Senegalese side, who are the FA Cup winners in the Senegalese top football league, lost its 7^th attempt from the spot, it was all but finished though nerve wrecking still, Gamtel FC, the defending champions of the FA Cup in Banjul had skipper Modou Ndow to take them through.

Ndow’s right sided shot sends Niary Tally’s goalkeeper Cheikh A.B. Thioun to the wrong direction and when it hit the back of the net, it was all but enough to put an end to all those nerve wrecking moments for the home side.

The 14^th penalty, seven-seven apart was enough to take Gamtel through to the 2^nd round of the Championship.    

Gamtel Coach Tapha Manneh Talks On ‘Big Achievement’

After guiding his side, Gamtel FC to a hard fought victory in their first international competition against neighbours Niary Tally of Senegal, Coach Tapha Manneh describes the results as a “big achievement”.

Speaking to journalists during a post-match press conference at the Independence Stadium in Banjul on Sunday, Mr Manneh said: “I feel proud and satisfied with the way my boys played, going through to the second stage of the competition is a very big achievement for the team.”

The two sides played another goalless draw in Banjul, The Gambia in the 2^nd leg of the WAFU Club Championship, however, Gamtel won 5-4 in a penalty shootout that needed seven shots apiece in order to determine a winner.

“We prepared well for the game because we know the type of team Niary Tally have. We came all out to win this game, though we were unlucky to score a goal in 90 minutes. We created a lot of chances within that period especially in the first forty-five minute,” Manneh said.

“To go one man down in football is normal, and we have one of the best team in the league, we are used to playing one man down even during training sessions, so we prepared for this game before.”

Coach Manneh noted that it has been difficult for both sides to score in full time in both legs because the defenders were as keen to keep a clean sheet as the strikers were also eager to score.

Gamtel’s next opponents are a team from Guinea Bissau, and he said they are going to stick to their plans in next stage of the competition. 

His opposite number, Niary Tally Coach Samba Keita said his side lost to a very good team, a team that they respected.  Equally, he said Gamtel also knows that Niary Tally is a very good team “so they prepare well to defeat us.”

Keita argued that his players are not familiar with pitch as they’ve been playing on an artificial turf at home. “The ball travels faster on an artificial turf and that is what my players are used to,” he said, while lamenting that a lack of concentration and an unfamiliar style of play by Gamtel affected his game.

But when we understood their style of play, everything changed in the 2^nd period, though we were unlucky to score, he said.

Interior’s Jammeh: Any Team Can Relegate

As the battle to remain in the top flight of Gambian football intensifies, the Assistant Coach for Interior FC Lamin Jammeh believes the league is not yet over and any team can relegate.

Interior, Africell, and Steve Biko are all relegation threatened having been there or there about the relegation zone for much of the Gambia Football Association (GFA) 1^st Division League.

Having guided his side to a 0-2 defeat to Bakau United on Saturday July 9, at the Serrekunda West Football Ground, Jammeh told reporters in a post-match interview that “the league is not yet over, any team can relegate”, adding that some teams are about to top the table, while some are going down.

He blamed his team’s lost to fatigue, saying “my side played badly today because of the fatigue and it contributed to our loss.” “We prepared not to lose, at least to collect a point but unfortunately we lost everything.”

Mr Kebba Touray, Coach for Bakau United was no doubt happy to guide his side to an emphatic 2-0 victory over the Interior FC. “I am very happy today, we’ve been struggling in the last few weeks and winning this game is very good,” he said.

United’s midfielder Jatta Baldeh was sent off for a challenge on Interior’s Ebrima Sanyang. However, his coach, Touray says he saw nothing wrong committed by his player and that he does not want to blame the referee either for giving Baldeh, the former U17 and U 20 player a red card.

United, relegation threatened, will take on the league leaders Brikama United on Wednesday. However, he noted that his side is fighting to stay in the league and will give them a great but tough game.

Bakau United took the lead 42 minutes into the first half after Amadou Baldeh taps in Modou L. Jallow’s cross from close range. Baldeh grab a brace 75 minutes into the 2^nd half, making no mistake putting Jatta Baldeh’s through pass on the bottom left corner of the post.

Both sides were reduced to 10 after Jatta Baldeh was sent off for Bakau United and Augustine Bass for Interior in the 94^th minute. Baldeh was adjudged to have fouled Ebrima Sanyang when both rose high for the ball, while Bass over reacted by attacking Baldeh for the challenge on his teammate.      

• Source: The Voice